A GUIDE TO THE CENTRAL REFERENCE SERVICE (CRS) AUGUST 1969

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00951R000100050019-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 17
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 20, 1998
• Sequence Number: 19
• Content Type: REPORT

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A GUIDE
to
THE CENTRAL REFERENCE SERVICE
(CRS)
August 1969
NOTE: This is a preliminary edition. Comments
and suggestions are invited and may be addressed
to D/CRS, Room 2E60 Hqo Additional copies in
limited numbers may be obtained from the Acquis-
tion and Dissemination Division, Dissemination
Branch, Room GF18 Hq?, Ext? 69570
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This material contains information affecting the
National Defense, of the United States within -the
meaning of the espionage laws, Title 18, USC,
Secs, 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation
of which in anymanner to an unauthorized person
is prohibited by law.
GROUP I
EXCLUDED FROM -AUTOMATIC
DOWNGRADING AND
DECLASSIFICATION
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THE CENTRAL REFERENCE SERVICE (CRS)
General
Organization
Organization Chart
INFORMATION SERVICES GROUP
(ISG)
Organization
3
Services-General
3
Biographic Information
4
Information on Foreign Subjects,
.Areas, and Organizations
6
CIA Library
7
Branch Libraries
7
SUPPORT SERVICES GROUP
(SSG)
Organization
9
Functions
9
Procurement
Graphics
of Publications and
10
Document Dissemination and
Storage/Delivery Services
11
Pictorial Services
12
EDP Support Services
13
HISTORICAL INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION (HIC) 15
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THE CENTRAL REFERENCE SERVICE (CRS)
General
The Central Reference Service (CRS) in the
Directorate of Intelligence is the Agency's intel-
ligence reference support facility. CRS receives
the principal series of intelligence issuances and
disseminates the individual reports directly to
Agency elements in response to their requirements
and interests. It also indexes and stores in its
extensive files, supported by both manual and elec-
tronic data processing systems, vast quantities
of information for future retrieval. As explained
in this handbook, CRS serves the Agency and the
Intelligence Community in many other ways, includ-
ing the production of biographic intelligence; the
procurement of foreign publications, films, photo-
graphs and videotapes; and the maintenance of a
library of open-source publications. It is also
actively involved, both internally and in coopera-
tion with the Community, in developing more efficient
information handling systems.
Organization
CRS is organized in two major groups, the
Information Services Group (ISG) and the Support
Services Group (SSG). The Office of the Director,
CRS, also includes the Historical Intelligence
Collection (HIC), a Systems Analysis Staff, and an
Administrative Staff. The two Staffs are concerned
with the internal operations of CRS; the specific
functions and services of the various elements of
the two major Groups (ISG and SSG) and the resources
of HIC are detailed below.
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INFORMATION SERVICES GROUP (ISG)
Organization
The Information Services Group (ISG) is composed
of five geographic divisions and the CIA Library,
which provide the services listed below in support
of the Agency?s intelligence production, research,
estimative, operational and collection components.
? INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SERVICE
on personalities, installations, organizations,
subjects, commodities, and areas from documents,
books, periodicals,.and ground and personality
photography.
? PREPARATION OF FINISHED BIOGRAPHIC REPORTS,
COMPILATIONS, AND REFERENCE AIDS on foreign
personalities for the Agency and official U.S.
activities.
? GUIDANCE FOR WORLD-WIDE COLLECTION OF BIOGRAPHIC
INFORMATION)
? A LIBRARY OF OPEN SOURCE BOOKS, PERIODICALS,
AND NEWSPAPERS, both domestic and foreign.
? DIRECTIONAL GUIDANCE SERVICE to other sources
of information within the Agency, Intelligence
Community, and the U.S. Government.
Key Service Points are listed on Page 2 of the
Agency Te ep oh ne Directory. CRS also publishes
a directory of key personnel and of analysts by
country, which can be obtained by calling
Extension 7518.
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Resources/Services
? All-source information on foreign personalities
other than military, provided in accordance
with DCID 1/9, which assigns primary respon-
sibility for biographic intelligence within
the Intelligence Community to CIA.
? A 22-year accumulation of biographic records
derived from collateral and special intelligence
reports, the foreign and domestic press, books,
journals, radio broadcasts, the scientific
literature, foreign student files, and other
sources, including the following:
- A 3-million item file on the books and
articles of Soviet Bloc scientists, includ-
ing their institutional affiliations,
? Continuing maintenance of lists of potential
foreign leaders as reported by overseas posts
and the monitoring of reporting on such
individuals.
? Development, in cooperation with requesters,
of special purpose manual or machine files
such as:
- A computer-held data bank of biographic
intelligence on members of the Soviet elites
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- Systematic reporting on the appearances
of Soviet and Chicom officials.
? Publication of formal biographic reports,
including:
- Comprehensive biographies in the form of
an "Intelligence Memorandum" or "Intelligence
Report" on individuals or groups of current
significance (CR-M and CR-R series).
- Biographic "Intelligence Handbooks," issued
in loose-leaf form and augmented quarterly,
on the most influential personalities in
every foreign country (CR-BH series).
- Governmental directories, organizational
and other biographic "Reference Aids"
(CR-A series).
Key Service Points are listed on Page 2 of the
Agency Telephone Directory. CRS also publishes
a directory of key personnel and of analysts by
country, which can be obtained by calling
Extension 7518.
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INFORMATION ON FOREIGN SUBJECTS, AREAS, AND ORGANIZATIONS
Resources/Services
? ISG divisions locate information for requesters
on foreign subjects, areas, and organizations
(for the period dating from 1947), including:
- All raw intelligence information reports
produced by CIA, NSA, State,, DIA.
- All finished intelligence studies prepared
by
- Selected intelligence cables and telegrams.
- Ground photography.
? -Searches in the files may specify a-subject or
a group of subjects, an area or several areas,
a date or date -span, the security classifica-
tion, the originating component, and the type
of information--field reporting, evaluated
intelligence,~or ground photography. Normally,
the initial response to an inquiry is a list.
of documents or photographs believed to be
pertinent to the objective of the search. The
listings can be screened either by the requester
himself or by the ISG analyst to remove any
citations which are obviously not applicable
to the problem at hand. Once the listings have
been screened; they are forwarded to the central
document or photographic files where copies. of
the documentsor photos desired are made avail-
able to the requester.
? Organizations and facilities can be located
by name, location, or specialty, e.g., type of
product, typelof research, type of activity---or
by their relationship to other organizations and
facilities. File coverage includes intelligence
documents, photographs, sketches, maps, leading
personalities, activities, and description of
each organizationand facility.
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Resources/Services
? The CIA Library, a division of ISG, provides
reference and loan services from open litera-
ture.
? The book collection of the CIA Library reflects
the broad scope of Agency interests, with
particular emphasis on foreign political,
economic, social, and scientific activities.
It is cataloged according to the Library of
Congress system. The reference collection is
maintained in the Reading Room.
? The book collection is supplemented through
interlibrary loan channels to the Library of
Congress and to other government., public, and
private libraries.
? The extensive periodical and newspaper collec-
tion of foreign and domestic titles is strong
in Russian and Chinese materials.
? The Library collection includes diplomatic and
consular lists, texts of speeches made by lead-
ing foreign officials, informal bibliographies,
texts of international treaties and agreements,
and foreign and domestic telephone directories.
Branch Libraries
The Library operates a branch in the Ames Build-
ing for the Office of Communications; and gives
guidance to the libraries in the office of
General Counsel at Headquarters, Office of
Research and Development in the Ames Building,
and the Office of Training at 1000 Glebe Road.
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SUPPORT SERVICES GROUP (SSG)
Organization
The Support Services Group (SSG) consists of
the Acquisition and Dissemination Division (ADD),
the Document and Pictorial Services Division (DPSD),
and the Electronic Data Processing Support Division
(EDPSD).
Functions
? DISSEMINATION of all-source intelligence mate-
rials and open source publications (books,
newspapers, and periodicals).
? COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION of ground photo-
graphy, motion picture films, and videotapes.
? PROCUREMENT OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC PUBLICATIONS
for all components of CIA.
? OPERATION OF COMPUTER CENTER AND ASSOCIATED
DATA PROCESSING FACILITIES.
Key Service Points are listed on Page 2 of the
Agency Te ep one Directory. CRS also publishes
a directory of key personnel and of analysts by
country, which can be obtained by calling
Extension 7518.
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PROCUREMENT OF PUBLICATIONS AND GRAPHICS
Publications
? The Acquisition Branch, ADD, provides Agency
offices with foreign and domestic overt publica-
tions (books, newspapers, and periodicals)
through the Publications Procurement Program
of the Foreign Service and by direct purchases
from publishers and book dealers. Publications
are procured according to standing requirements
of user offices or on the basis of specific
orders.
For information regarding publishers, costs and
availabilty of publications, call or visit the
Acquisition Branch, Room GH0922 (Extension 5310).
Requests for purchase must be submitted on Form
1395.
Graphics
? The Pictorial Services Branch, DPSD, maintains
continuing and close contact with commercial
photo and motion picture sources and the tele-
FOIAb3b1 vision industry, ~ and other government
agencies to provide for the regular procurement
of materials for current and strategic intel-
ligence requirements. The Branch directs the
joint Department of State/CIA Graphics Coordi-
nator Program for the procurement of intelligence
photography.
Re uirements may be placed for the procurement
of ground and personality photography or motion
picture film and videotape by contacting the
Pictorial Services Branch, Room 1E4822
(Extension 7407).
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DOCUMENT DISSEMINATION AND STORAGE/DELIVERY SERVICES
Dissemination
? The Dissemination Branch, ADD, provides CIA
analysts with copies of intelligence reports,
messages, and publications produced by CIA,
State, Defense,"non-USIB agencies and certain
foreign governments, Over-all requirements
are validated annually but additions, deletions,
and organizational changes may be submitted
at any time.
Information on all phases of dissemination, con-
tr. of Top Secret documents,- an on procedural
guidance involving-classification is available
through the Dissemination Branch, Room GH0922
(Extension 7648)? Requirements for dissemina-
tion should be submitted through the requester's
component.
Microfilm and Hard Copy Files
? The Document Services Branch, DPSD, administers
a collection of intelligence documents received
from all sources (dating from 1947) and main-
tained in two separate but contiguous areas for
the collateral and codeword categories. The
basic collateral file is stored on 16 and 35mm
microfilm in aperture card format and the basic
codeword collection is stored in hard copy with
selected series stored on aperture cards. The
Inter-Agency Services Section, DSB, will obtain
for requesters copies of documents produced
elsewhere and not available in the basic col-
lection.
For collateral documents contact Search Section,
Document Services Bran- , Room 1H1125 (Extension
7177); for codeword documents contact Special
Unit, Document Services Branch, Room 1H1107
(Extension 5811)
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Photos ra2hy
? The Photograph Section, Pictorial Services
Branch, DPSD, conducts an overseas and domestic
photo collection program and maintains the
negative file for all Agency-accessioned ground
and personality photography. The section pro-
vides each week an opportunity for analysts to
view all newly accessioned photographs.
Selection of hot. ra hs should be made in
consultation with ISG analysts (see CRS Direc-
tory) and should be requested by number in the
Photograph Section, Room 1E4808 (Extension
7868).
Motion Picture Film and Videotapes
? The Film Section, Pictorial Services Branch,
DPSD, conducts an overseas and domestic motion
picture film and videotape collection program
and operates a library and loan service from
its extensive holdings. The collection is
especially strong on Southeast Asia and on
SovBloc scientific, technical, geographic, and
documentary films. The Film Section also.main-
tains motion pictures for domestic orientation
and training purposes as well as for overseas
use. Theatre facilities are available. The
section also provides a film editing service,
including the preparation of sound tracks.
For motionp ictures videotapes, or other services
contact the Film Section, Room 1E4822 Extension
7407).
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EDP SUPPORT SERVICES
Systems and Programming-Support
Systems analysts and programmers are available
in the EDP Support Division to assist DDI com-
ponents in developing computer applications.
Equipment Support
Equipment currently available includes a
360/50 computer, punched card equipment, remote
access devices and a Rapid Search Machine.
Page Reader applications can also be arranged.
Requests for systems, pr gramming, and machine
support should be addressed to EDPSD, Room
(Extension 5387)
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HISTORICAL INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION (HIC)
The Agency's Historical Intelligence Collection
(HIC) located in Room 1H1124 (Ext. 5630) is closely
related to, although not a component of, the CIA
Library. It is a collection in depth of open
literature on the subject of intelligence and intel-
ligence tradecraft in all countries and in all
languages. Also included are books referring to
CIA, favorably or unfavorably. HIC also maintains
extensive clipping files of historical interest on
CIA and major espionage cases. HIC is headed by
its own Curator and provides both reference service
and lending facilities for its material.
Key Service Points are listed on Page 2 of the
Agency Telephone Directory. CRS also publishes
a directory of key personnel and of analysts by
country, which can be obtained by calling
Extension 75188
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